Flowers in Summer
by KatsuragiYako
Summary: When twenty-four year old Haru Yoshioka finds herself with an empty summer break, she has no idea what she's going to do. A phone call from her cousin proves to be her saving grace, and Haru quickly jumps at the chance to house-sit for her cousin. But her hometown is full of new surprises since she's been away at college. For Haru, an unexpected journey is about to unfold. Human AU
1. Chapter 1

Haru groaned as she leaned back in her chair, pencil perched between her lip and her nose as she furrowed her brows. Summer break was finally here, a welcome break from all the schoolwork, and college.

Ugh. _College_.

Her expression only became more disgruntled at the thought of college and the flurry of work and assignments she'd had to do. Of course, her art classes were fun, and she enjoyed history, but writing the reports and essays were frustrating.

"They wouldn't be so frustrating if you'd start them earlier," her mom always told her when she called home, but like she had the time to do that between everything for her other classes too.

It was terrible, but she soldiered through, somehow. But even with summer break, her blessed respite from the hell of classwork, she was still in a sour mood.

Perhaps sour wasn't the right word, but she was definitely pouting a bit. All of her friends had gone somewhere for the break. Hiromi and her boyfriend were going on a cross country roadtrip to go visit his parents. Ami and Risa had both gone home to visit their families too. Haru would have done the same, of course, had her mother not been out of town at a quilting convention, and she wasn't too keen on being home all by herself for a week. But that of course, left her with a week of absolutely nothing to do. No one to hang out with.

She suppressed another groan and pressed her hands to her face, leaning a bit too far back and tipping her chair over. She went down with a strangled cry and flailing limbs, whimpering softly as her head smacked against the floor. To add insult to injury, her pencil landed eraser first on her head and bounced off, rolling under her desk.

"Owww..." A small whine escaped her, and she lay there, staring up at her ceiling as she tried to cradle the back of her head, knowing there would be a large bump there within minutes. She probably should have gotten up to get an ice pack out of the freezer, but moving required more energy than she felt she had at the moment.

At least, until her phone rang.

Haru's eyes widened and she scrambled out of her chair and over to her bed, where her phone lay charging. It wasn't as easy as it sounded, mostly because she was wearing socks, which made the ordeal a bit more complicated than it needed to be.

Finally securing her phone, she realized it wasn't her mother calling, like she'd initially thought, but her cousin, Shizuku. Well, it was still better than doing nothing, and Shizuku was arguably the family member she was closest to.

"Hello?" Haru answered, chirping with more enthusiasm than was probably necessary.

"Oh, you picked up sooner than I thought you would," Shizuku laughed, and there was a small pause as she called something to someone in the background. Likely Seiji, her fiance. "I'm glad I got caught you, though. Do you have plans for the summer?"

Ouch. Right off the bat. Haru dropped her cheeriness and let out a loud sigh. "No, and I hate it. Mom's off at a convention, so I can't go home just yet. Everyone else has already gone off for the break." Leaving her there. Alone.

Shizuku winced on the other line. "Unfortunate. But also fortunate for me, I guess. You want something to do for the break?"

"Yes. Please. Anything. I'll literally bathe Seiji's grumpy pet cat."

"Hah-no, nothing that drastic, but you might have to bathe the dog," Shizuku laughed, her voice slightly muffled, and Haru could picture her cousin placing her hand over her mouth to smother her giggles. "No, I was just wondering if you'd be able to watch our house while we're gone. Gives you something to do while Aunt Naoko's out of town, though we'll be gone longer than a week.

Haru blinked, adjusting her phone slightly as she sat down on the edge of her bed. "Yeah, sure, I don't mind, but where are you guys going?"

"A cruise, to...Italy, I think? Where Seiji was studying," her cousin answered, sighing dreamily. "It's gorgeous, and I can't wait. But we can't find anyone else to watch the house while we're gone, and with the pets, it's not...ideal at all. You were the last hope, honestly. If you were busy we would have had to cancel."

"I'm glad I ended up having no plans then," Haru smiled. "You two deserve this."

"Thanks, Haru. You really are a lifesaver. How soon can you get here? Not to rush you or anything."

"No worries," the brunette laughed. "If I leave in an hour, I should be able to catch a train and be there by.." she trailed off and pulled her phone away from her ear to check the time. "Probably by midnight, I think."

"Oh, good," Shizuku breathed a sigh of relief. "We have to leave tomorrow afternoon, so that works perfectly. We'll pay for your ticket and everything."

Haru squawked, eyes widening. "Wha—Shizuku, you don't have to do that! It's fine, really!" Sure, her cousin might have been a published author, engaged to a famous violinist, but still! She could afford her own ticket! They didn't need to go out of their way like that!

"Oh, don't be silly," Shizuku shot back, and Haru could practically feel her glare over the phone. "I'm dragging you into house sitting totally last minute. I'm paying for your ticket. And really, thank you, again. I'm glad I'll get to see you for a bit before we have to leave too."

Haru smiled and nodded, even though her cousin couldn't see it. "Me too, it's been a long time. But I'm glad you two finally have some time to yourself."

"Yeah, me too," Shizuku giggled softly. "Well, I better let you get packed. We have to finish packing too so we're not in a rush tomorrow. Kitchen's fully stocked too, so you shouldn't need to worry about groceries while we're gone. Call me when you get to the station."

"You got it. I'll see you guys in a few hours."

"Alright. Bye!"

With their goodbyes said and the call ended, Haru sat there for a moment, wondering if her cousin was psychic. Still, Shizuku was right. It would give her something to do over the summer, especially while she waited for her mother to get home. Plus, it would be easier to stay in a house that hadn't been overrun with crafting supplies while she was gone. Quilting had definitely taken over in her absence, but she couldn't blame her mom. That was her passion, the same as art was Haru's.

"Welp, better get ready," she said to herself as she stood and brushed herself off.

It took a bit of digging to even find her suitcase amidst all the old sketchpads and boxes of art supplies stuffed into her closet for more room in her small bedroom. From there, she packed a few outfits to cycle between while she was there, plus she also knew she could borrow something of Shizuku's if she needed it, though she still packed her favorite, fluffy gray sweater just in case.

She glanced at the mountain of art supplies she'd displaced, and paused. She pursed her lips, squinting at the pile. Well, wouldn't hurt. She grabbed her newest sketchpad and her graphite pencils, then after another moment of hesitation, she grabbed her pastels and carefully stashed them in the suitcase and cushioned them between her clothes so nothing would end up in pieces by the time she got there.

Next was her purse, which spurred a quick check to make sure she had her wallet and her ID. Thankfully that reminded her to stuff her phone charger into her suitcase too. Definitely wouldn't be a good idea to forget that.

Running through her mental check list, she decided she had everything, and then changed out of her pajamas, and into something more appropriate for travel. Just a plain white tank top and denim shorts, and a light jacket. She was just tugging on her sneakers when her phone dinged, with her ticket information.

With that, she was all ready to go. Or so she hoped, at least. She'd always been a bit forgetful.

Which was proved a minute later as she hurriedly unzipped her suitcase to stash her laptop and its charger in before sealing it up again.

Then, finally, she was out the door with her phone in her purse, slung over her shoulder, while she lugged the suitcase behind her. She locked the apartment door behind her and dropped her keys into her purse, and then she was on her way to the station. At least it wasn't far to walk at least.

As expected, the train was pretty packed, but she managed to find her seat in a less crowded section and settled in for the trip, suitcase carefully stowed in the compartment over her head. For a while, she played a few games on her phone, but over time, as the train began to empty and it grew quieter, and her battery began to edge toward the red, she gave into fatigue.

She awoke with a start a bit later, with the announcement of the next stop—the one she was waiting for. Haru grimaced and rubbed her eyes, groaning softly. Everything felt stiff and sore, but that was to be expected for sleeping so long. But at least the trip had gone by fast. She was glad it was a train she wouldn't have to switch off either. She really would have been in trouble then.

Finally, the train screeched to a stop and she stood and retrieved her suitcase. A few other people filtered off of the train with her and she shuffled over to a bench to text her cousin.

Her hometown was fairly small by city standards, but it was lively. Familiar. Even as she stood outside the station, watching the city hustle on, cars zipping by and people walking along, some staring at their phones as they passed.

"Nice to know some things don't change no matter where you go," she laughed to herself.

Right about then, Seiji's sleek black car pulled into parking lot and she could see Shizuku waving enthusiastically in the passenger's seat. Haru's grin widened, and she shifted her suitcase to one hand so she could wave back. Her cousin's fiance pulled up to the curb, and Haru was quick to slide into the back as smoothly as she could.

"Welcome baaaaack!" Shizuku cheered, stretching out her arms and almost smacking Seiji in the face. He wrinkled his nose and gently pushed her hand away before she actually could smack him on accident.

"Good to be back," Haru smiled as she clipped her seatbelt. "Glad to have something to do for the summer," she added.

"I told Shizuku we should have called you from the beginning, but she didn't want you to have to cancel any plans," Seiji rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Then you could have been here sooner and had more time together."

"I...well, no one ever said I was good at planning out things like this. Now, you give me a story idea, and I can plot that to the moon and back. A trip? Well." Shizuku shrugged, but gave her cousin a conspiratory wink when she thought her fiance wasn't looking.

Haru stifled a giggle and eased back into the seat. "Honestly, I'm glad you called either way. I was bored out of my mind trying to figure out what I was going to do for a week. I couldn't just sit there and binge something on Netflix for a week. Then I wouldn't want to do anything at all."

The conversation was light and easy, but it was still late at night. It was clear the two were tired and had been up waiting for her, and even after her unbelievably long nap on the train, she was tired too.

The pair lived a little outside the city in a small cottage. It was quaint and cozy, and the yard honestly looked like something out of one of her cousin's stories. In fact, it probably inspired some of them. The garden was well cared for, and ivy had made its home crawling across the left side of the cottage. A little stone path led up to the front door, and a forest stretched out behind the house. It really wasn't hard to tell why the couple had chosen this place. It was definitely good for the imagination, and Haru was already feeling the itch to sketch it—though paints probably suited the idyllic scenery better than the pastels and graphite pencils she'd brought.

The door was lit by a small lantern, and it made it look all the more like some fantasy cottage in the middle of the woods. It made Haru smile, and she couldn't wait to see it in the daylight. Then she'd really have to draw it.

But the view that took her breath away the most was looking down from the top of the gently sloping hill the cottage sat on. The city seemed to glow, full of twinkling lights. It reminded Haru of looking at the stars, even though she could see them clearly from the house. It was breathtaking, really, and so entrancing that Haru didn't even notice her cousin calling her.

When she finally did, she turned and laughed sheepishly, but her cousin just smiled knowingly and shook her head.

"The guest room is all ready for you, so make yourself at home. I'm sure you're still pretty tired," Shizuku told her as they filed into the house.

Almost immediately, they were greeted by the sound of scrabbling nails on hardwood floors, accompanied by loud barking. Haru's grin widened and she set her suitcase down, crouching down and almost getting knocked over by the black dog that came barreling around the corner of the kitchen.

"Moon! I missed you!" she laughed, petting the eager puppy, whose tail wagged hard enough to hurt if it happened to hit anyone. Moon wasn't a big dog by any stretch, barely even medium sized, but she was friendly to people she recognized, and a bit scared by anyone she didn't. But she was a good dog, still happily energetic, even though Shizuku and Seiji had had her for about five years, just before Haru had gone off to college in the first place. Shizuku had been the one to bring her home, and Seiji had suggested the name, after one of the cats he'd had when he was younger, back around the time the couple had first met.

Her cousin and fiance apologized for the fact they couldn't spend more time with her tonight, and said their good nights as they trudged to their room. Moon was more than happy to trot after Haru as she headed to the guest bedroom.

She set her suitcase on top of the trunk at the end of the bed and sank down on the corner, whereupon Moon immediately set her head on top of Haru's knee, looking up at her with her eternally sad puppy dog eyes, no doubt expecting ear scratches and headpats. Haru was more than happy to comply though, and found herself wishing, not for the first time, that her apartment allowed pets.

Pausing to shield a yawn, she realized how tired she was and wriggled her way under the covers after turning off the light. The bed dipped, and a weight settled against her side, and she almost laughed.

"Good night, Moon," she smiled as she settled into bed. The dog answered with a heavy exhale and snuggling against her some more.

At least now it felt like her summer had actually begun.

* * *

 **A/N:** Boy it's been a while, hasn't it? Yet here I am uploading a new story when I have so many unfinished ones already. Whoops. Anyway this was inspired by a dream I only remember bits and pieces of, so I'm still not entirely sure where it's heading, although I have a bit of a vague idea to work with. That said, fear not, for Baron and crew will appear eventually! Along with some other cameos, as you can probably tell from this chapter.

And the bit about Shizuku and Seiji having a dog was mostly because I imagined Haru playing around with a dog like my own, and I had to. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Just for the record, when writing this, my image of Haru and Baron were mostly reflective of the face claims picked out on haruxyoshioka and creatxn, so if you're confused about the cover image, that's why!

Next chapter, hopefully soon!


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was a flurry of activity. Haru was still half asleep as she tried to help them load their bags into the car. So much for avoiding the last minute scramble, but that was how trip preparations always went. But at least they'd all gotten to share a nice chat over breakfast and coffee.

Finally the last bag was pushed into the car, and Shizuku wrapped her cousin in a tight hug.

"Thank you again, seriously. I don't think I can thank you enough," she smiled, almost looking a little guilty for just dropping her into house-sitting, but Haru waved it off.

"You can thank me by having a good time with your husband to be," the shorter of the two responded. That would be enough. As long as those two finally got the time they deserved together. Sort of like a pre-wedding honeymoon? Those probably weren't even a thing.

"Right, we will. But if it helps, we've got a neighbor living a little further down the road. His house is in walking and biking distance, so if you need help with anything or feel lonely, you can go introduce yourself! Hang out, go to dinner, have some fun..." Shizuku's eyes sparkled mischievously, and Haru wasn't sure she trusted the look on her cousin's face. It was one Hiromi wore quite often whenever boys were mentioned around Haru. "And he's single!"

And there it was. She should have known. Still, Haru playfully punched her cousin in the shoulder. "Are you trying to set me up with your neighbor? Jeez! Who says I'm ready to date yet?"

It wasn't a bad idea though—not the neighbor part, but dating in general. She hadn't had a relationship since high school, and that hadn't ended quite so well. She had no idea what to make of her cousin trying to set her up with her neighbor though. But at the very least, it was comforting to know she wasn't alone if she happened to need help. Granted, the city was within biking distance too, it was just a bit further away than a neighbor's house.

Shizuku laughed and ducked away. "Hey, I'm just saying. He moved in about two years ago? Always dresses sharply. But he's a friend of Seiji's grandpa, somehow. But he's nice-" Before she could say anything else, Seiji beeped the horn, as if telling her to hurry up. The short haired brunette turned and made a face over her shoulder, before turning back to Haru with a smile. "Well, I'll talk to you later. Have fun and don't get into trouble!"

"When have I ever been the one to get in trouble?" Haru asked with a laugh, lifting her hand in a wave as she watched her cousin hurry into the passenger's seat before the car began to ease out of the driveway and onto the main road. She kept waving until the car was out of sight, then turned and headed back into the house.

Moon was laying under one of the dining room chairs when she entered, barely even wagging her tail when she saw Haru walk back in. It was clear that she was sulking, so Haru knelt down to scratch her behind the ear, which seemed to cheer her up enough to get her to come out from under the chair. Seeing the dog in better spirits, Haru headed back to her room to unpack a bit.

Curled up on the bed was the other resident of the house, a pretty calico cat named Luna, named after another childhood pet of Seiji's, though personality-wise, she seemed to be more like the original Moon. A bit shy, a bit standoffish, and certainly a little bit grumpy if she didn't like you. But the cat barely paid attention to Haru as she moved around the room, only lifting her head once to see who it was, then going right back to her nap.

But at least the room felt a little more like home now, even though she didn't have a desk to work at but she'd figure something out. Her clothes had been placed in the dresser, and she kept her art supplies in her suitcase for the time being. Her laptop she had carried out to the coffee table in the living room.

Though with that accomplished, now her dilemma of what to do had returned. But at least it was less worrisome than being stuck in her apartment alone going stir crazy. She turned the TV on and browsed for a while before settling on a random movie she'd never seen before.

Thirty minutes in, however, she was still lost, understood nothing, and couldn't enjoy the movie at all. Thankfully, Moon had chosen that moment to lay her head on Haru's knee, wagging her tail and whining softly.

"Right. Fresh air for both of us," Haru decided with a nod.

As she stood up, Moon backed up a bit, but proceeded to run circles around her as she went to the door. After a bit of searching, she found a tennis ball to toss around in the yard, and headed out into the afternoon sun. The dog happily dashed ahead as the door was open, though she didn't go far before she looked to make sure Haru had come outside as well. Once she had confirmed that Haru hadn't left her outside alone, she was more than happy to run around on her own.

Haru smiled as she soaked in the sun, feeling it warm her up a bit. Playing with Moon was just what she needed to alleviate her boredom for the time being. It got her moving, cheered the dog up, and really, it was a nice afternoon. She shouldn't spend it cooped up. Even with that thought though, Moon wasn't the best at playing fetch. She was the kind of dog who would go chase the ball, but when she had it, she wouldn't bring it back. Or rather, she would, she just wouldn't drop the ball. Which led to several minutes of chasing the dog around the yard, trying to get the ball back.

When the pair finally tired themselves out, and Haru managed to wrestle the ball away from the dog, they went back inside to enjoy the air conditioning. The movie was still on, and the brunette realized she hadn't turned it off before she went outside. Oh well. She flopped back onto the couch and began to channel surf again, while Moon sprawled herself on the floor between the TV and coffee table.

A nap actually sounded pretty good right about then, but she knew she ought to at least eat lunch first. Still... mustering up the effort to get back up was difficult. It seemed like all she'd done lately was sleep. With a grimace, Haru leaned forward and pushed herself off the couch.

She had just reached the kitchen when a brisk knock on the door startled her. Surely everyone who knew her cousin knew they were gone by now? Unless it was a traveling salesman but... people didn't really do that anymore, did they?

Carefully, she opened the door, greeted with a sight she didn't expect. He was tall, the top of her head reaching his shoulder. Like Shizuku had said, he was well dressed in a white button up shirt and deep red vest. He looked like the kind of man that would wear a suit for any occasion. Even if it was casual. He was foreign, his hair neatly combed and not an ounce of hair gel keeping it managed.

And his _eyes_. His eyes had to be the prettiest shade of green she'd ever seen. They reminded her of gemstones, bright emeralds. Or maybe jade? She couldn't claim to be an expert with gemstones themselves, but she liked to think she was pretty good at picking up colors.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both confused.

"Oh," he finally said after a long moment, a bit of an accent to his words. "That's right, they were leaving today, weren't they?" He sighed at his timing and shook his head. "Well, no matter. I live a bit up the road from here, and I made a bit of an excess of banana bread this morning so I thought I would share."

Oh, he baked too. She was going to get Shizuku back for this, somehow. When she finally opened her mouth, she wanted to smack herself for saying something so stupid.

"Wow, you're cool," she breathed, and almost immediately the mental tirade against the betrayal of her mouth began.

He blinked in surprise, then chuckled good-naturedly. "You know, I have been told that a few times," he said, gently offering the basket he was carrying to her. "My name is Humbert von Gikkingen, but everyone else simply calls me Baron." A bit of a strange nickname, but maybe he was from a noble family..? Her confusion must have been evident on his face, as he chuckled again. "My family inherited the title, though the title is all we have. Thus the nickname sort of... stuck, among my peers."

"Oh," Haru nodded. "I'm Haru, Shizuku's cousin."

"Ah!" His eyes seemed to dance at the revelation, his smile widening. "So _you're_ the famous Haru. Shizuku's told me much about you."

"F-fa-famous?" Haru choked, eyes widening. She was hardly famous, though her cousin had been trying to get her to illustrate a book of hers for a few years. But the color drained from her face a moment later, remembering just how mischievous her cousin could be. "Oh no. What did she tell you?"

"Nothing bad, I assure you," he was quick to amend. "Simply that you were quite the talented artist, and you'd been away at college. She failed to mention just how fetching you are though."

Her face turned bright red and she coughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. Well, that was new. People did not compliment her very often. Was he flirting? He probably wasn't. He was probably just being nice. Yeah, that was it. Still, she couldn't help the nervous giggle that bubbled past her lips as she took the basket from him. "W-Well, as long as that was all she told you," she said.

As long as there was no talk of her being single or clumsy. Though, knowing Shizuku, she probably had mentioned at least once that Haru wasn't seeing anyone. Baron was probably being nice and not mentioning it. He looked a bit older than her anyway. Maybe five or six years between them? Or more, possibly.

"Well, she also told me you were incredibly kind and brave," he continued, rubbing his chin. "There was a story of how you rescued a young bird with a broken wing, and even saved a cat from being hit by a car. Not many people would brave oncoming traffic with nothing but a lacrosse stick." It was a genuine compliment, she realized. He wasn't being teasing or condescending, just... genuinely impressed with her, which only made her blush harder.

"A-ah... well, someone had to do something," she mumbled, rubbing her cheek as she set the basket on the counter with her other hand, ignoring the delicious whiff of banana bread that reached her nose as she did. "It was the right thing to do."

"Indeed, and an admirable thing, as well," Baron smiled, and it was so dazzling Haru almost felt light headed. Oh, she was definitely going to get Shizuku back somehow. She was totally trying to set her up with her neighbor. Her very, very attractive neighbor.

"Th-thanks," Haru managed, unable to meet his eyes as she rooted her gaze to the floor. She still wasn't good with compliments. Likely wouldn't ever be.

"Well, I should get going. I can't be late for work," he said as he straightened his vest, and then dipped his head as if he were tipping his hat to her. "Ah, but if you happen to need anything, please don't hesitate to call. You're here by yourself, correct?"

"Ah, um, yeah. House-sitting while they're gone," Haru nodded.

"Very well then, you should come by for dinner some night, if it gets too stifling here," he smiled once more, producing a pen and business card from his pockets, and wrote a number down on the back of it. "This is my mobile phone number, and on the front you'll find my work number. Seeing as we're neighbors for the time being, my door will be open to you should you need it, be it day or night."

Haru fought to keep herself from blushing, nodding as she took the card from him. It wasn't quite the way she'd imagined anything like this going, but she had his number. Maybe she could thank Shizuku for playing matchmaker... but she shouldn't get ahead of herself either. She knew that. Getting her hopes up would just set her up for the inevitable crash.

"Have a good evening, Miss Haru," he tipped his nonexistent hat once more, and then he was gone, heading back to his car.

"Y-You too, uh, Baron," she squeaked after him, raising her hand in a small wave.

Once he pulled out of the driveway, she shut the door and sank against it, her cheeks absolutely burning, holding the card over her heart. "What the _hell_ , Shizuku!" she cried, trying to muster up the will to be angry at her cousin. Maybe the cruise and house-sitting was all just an elaborate excuse to try and set them up. He'd even called her fetching! But... he was just being nice, right? He seemed like a proper gentleman, even speaking with that aristocratic sort of flair.

"Uuuggghh," she groaned and finally glanced down at the business card, wondering just what in the world he did for a living. Her eyes almost popped out of her head.

"The Cat Bureau Private Investigation Firm... He's a private investigator?!" She could just see him solving cases with gentlemanly ease, like a modern day Sherlock Holmes. She whined and leaned her head against the door.

"Can he get _any_ cooler?"

 **A/N:** And here is chapter two! Baron appears and already sweeps Haru off her feet. No update schedule yet, but hopefully I'll work out something more regular now that I know where this story is headed! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

For the rest of that day, Haru couldn't help but feel like she'd made a total fool of herself. It always seemed that whenever she met someone attractive, she always tripped up. She turned into a sputtering, blushing mess. But at least she had managed a conversation... that was progress, wasn't it? Hiromi probably wouldn't see it that way, but she wasn't about to bother her friend on her trip.

The banana bread was delicious though, and she chose that for her breakfast the next morning, along with a cup of tea. It was the perfect way to start the day, if she was being honest. There was something refreshing about sitting at the table, early morning sunlight streaming through the curtains while she ate her breakfast, watching the breeze rustle through the plants growing just under the windowsill. There was something that just felt so right about it, something she couldn't quite describe, but it certainly moved the artist in her.

When she finished, she put down food for the dog and cat, and refilled their water bowl. With that done, she left her cup in the sink and went to change her clothes. Something suited for biking... She settled on a pair of khaki shorts she hadn't... actually ever worn before, and a pastel blue t-shirt. She pulled her hair back into its usual ponytail as she headed for the door, pausing to look at Moon who was curled up on her bed in the living room. Luna wasn't far, curled up on the back of the couch in a small patch of sunlight.

"Be good, you two," Haru smiled to herself, slinging her purse over her shoulder just in case, before tugging on her shoes and locking the door on her way out.

Thankfully, she didn't have to look too hard for the bike, which was leaning against the fence around their yard. It looked a bit old and creaky, but it was in surprisingly good shape. For a moment, she wondered if it was the same bike Seiji had used to take Shizuku up to see the sunrise for his romantic confession, but she doubted it would be in the condition this bike was in. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she hopped on and pedaled forward.

It was a bit of an awkward start as she struggled to get it moving, but it finally started rolling easier and she was off down the hill, only having to brake once or twice from too much momentum and bumps in the road. It was nice to feel the wind in her face, however. It felt freeing, something she was grateful for with all the stress from the school year resting on her shoulders. Her hometown really was a nice place, and she felt inspiration everywhere.

She hadn't realized it before, but maybe she'd been missing something before coming back. Maybe she had just let the pressure build up too much and she'd stopped enjoying herself. Being able to take a break from all of it had done a world of difference.

Stopping outside of town, she carefully hid her bike in the bushes, just in case, and headed the rest of the way on foot. Really, the weather was just perfect. It wasn't too hot out, or cold. It was the perfect balance thanks to the light breeze.

For the most part, her town looked much the same as it always had, always full of people on their way to their destination, be it work or shopping or anything in between. She recalled many a morning where she'd been running late and she hadn't quite missed the morning joggers, all in a group. But she didn't have to worry about that today. She wasn't in high school anymore, and she didn't have any place in particular she needed to be at the moment, which meant she was free to wander as much as she pleased. It also meant she could take as much time as she liked to see what had changed.

It didn't take long for her to notice something rather obvious though. She remembered a little family owned bakery on a street corner that made the best pies, and now it had been replaced with a brand name clothing store, blank faced mannequins staring onto the street. Haru did her best to hide the grimace as she watched the store and hurried onward.

The difference was even more apparent once she reached the Crossroads, a plaza that had always been a pretty popular hangout spot when she was in school. From the looks of it, it still was, but there were many more stores than she remembered. Electronic stores, clothing stores... it seemed like her town had really been growing in her absence, and she was beginning to regret not visiting more often. She was even more saddened to see that the little used bookstore was gone too. She and Shizuku both had spent many hours wandering around the maze of books the owner had created. They always made an adventure of it, trying to find each other when they wandered into different parts of the store.

Thankfully, at least, her favorite cafe was still there, and she breathed a sigh of relief as she approached the outdoor tables. An even more familiar sight greeted her at one of the tables. Seated in the sun, a rather round white cat snoozed, sporting a brown patch on its ear and a stubby tail. It was a stray, as far as she could tell, but it seemed to love napping in that spot for as long as she could remember. It might have also had to do with the fact that cafe-goers made a habit of feeding scraps to the cat when they thought no one was looking. No one seemed to mind though, since the cat never really caused any trouble.

Haru slipped inside the cafe, unable to help herself. The menu hadn't changed much. It seemed like they were selling more pastries and desserts than she remembered, and they'd added an array of teas among their coffee drinks, which was also a pleasant surprise. After a moment of thought, she placed her order for an iced chai latte, and paid for it. Once she had her drink in hand, she settled at one of the tables in the shade and let herself relax as she debated where to go next.

She heard the click of dress shoves on the pavement and her heart gave a little start—it wasn't Baron. It couldn't be.

"Miss Haru?"

It was.

Haru gaped, almost choking on her drink as she turned to look up at him. "Oh, um, Baron. This is a surprise," she managed, smiling sheepishly.

"Indeed it is, though this cafe is quite nice, isn't it?" he smiled. "Do you mind if I sit with you then?"

"I...w-well. Sure, of course. Go ahead!" She hadn't exactly been prepared to meet him again so soon after their introduction... not that she was complaining, of course, but a little time to prepare would have been appreciated.

His smile widened in response to her answer, and he headed in to make his order. When he returned, he also carried two slices of cake and two places. After a moment of shuffling once he sat down, he moved the other slice onto a second plate and slid it Haru's way.

"I hope you like strawberry shortcake?" he asked. "I like to think I'm rather good at reading people, but mistakes do happen sometimes."

"Oh! You didn't have to do that...! Thank you though..." Did he have to be so nice? She wasn't prepared for this at all! "You were right though, this is one of my favorite desserts. I've always liked it here the best," she smiled in return. He was definitely very good at reading people, but maybe she just looked like someone who liked strawberry shortcake?

"I'm glad. I do agree though. Their cakes are certainly their specialty," he nodded, taking a sip of his mug. "Granted, I much prefer my own personal blend of tea, but I certainly commend them for their selection."

"You make your own blend of tea?" Haru found herself asking in amazement. "I wouldn't even begin to know where to start with something like that."

"Well," he began, looking a bit sheepish, "it does take quite a bit of trial and error, I'm afraid. Some days I'm quite lucky and get a particularly good blend. Other days, it... doesn't go quite as well. Due to that, it tastes a bit different every time, so I can never guarantee the flavor. I always test it out before I go giving it to guests, however."

Haru giggled into her hand before taking a bite of cake. "Seems like a smart thing to do. It'd be in poor taste to serve them a bad blend of tea."

"I wouldn't even wish such a thing on my enemies. Or anyone." He seemed to light up upon hearing her laughter. Though maybe it was just because he was happy to talk about something he was passionate about to anyone who would listen. Of course, maybe that was Haru trying to delude herself so she didn't get too far ahead of herself.

"Agreed," she nodded. "I'm glad this place is still open though. I don't think the Crossroads would be the same without it," she continued, glancing out at the people passing by. Parents leading children, groups of friends walking together and laughing... In some ways it hadn't changed at all. Maybe she was just overthinking it...

"Ah, yes, quite a few small businesses have disappeared since I moved here. It's almost alarming how quickly that man is buying property..." Baron looked disgruntled for a moment, causing Haru to raise an eyebrow. Seeing that he needed to explain, he set his cup down and leaned forward a bit. "It seems that a rather well known business tycoon has been buying property like crazy, to the point it would seem he's forcing small business owners to give up their property so he can bring in some new department store or otherwise big business."

The brunette wrinkled her nose at that, a frown on her lips. "Well, that's just rude. Those small businesses have always been the soul of this place. Without that, it just becomes like any other city."

"Indeed," Baron heaved a sigh, slowly beginning to eat his slice of cake. "But men like that don't care, in my experience. They want to make as much money as possible and they generally don't care who they have to step on to get there." He paused momentarily, then nervously scratched his cheek. "My apologies, it would seem I'm a bit too passionate about the issue, considering one of my current cases is trying to find a way around said tycoon's bullying, for lack of a better word. I'd like to protect the... soul of this place, as you call it, as much as I possibly can."

Haru smiled and shook her head. "No, don't worry, I totally agree. It would be nice if we could keep as many as we could around. But I can understand, a little. Sometimes the money is needed. Still, if a business is doing perfectly well, they should be left alone by people like that."

"If only, but the business world is a tumultuous place. But I'm sure a conversation like this must be boring for a young woman like yourself," he smiled apologetically. "What brings you out into the city today?"

She opened her mouth to say she would have had a conversation on whatever he wanted, but she bit her tongue, choosing instead to respond to his question.

"Oh, I just wanted to get out for a little while. See what had changed and what was the same. I think being back here has done me a world of good," she answered. "I feel a lot better not having to worry about school or anything. I can draw in peace."

"Ah, are you an art student then? Miss Shizuku didn't mention what you studied."

"Of sorts, yeah. Art is my major, but I'm also taking some Humanities courses and a History course. It's... a bit of a workload, but it's fun too."

Baron was remarkably easy to talk to. Of course, it was easy for her to complain about how much she had to do, but she'd only met Baron the day before, and here she was talking to him as if she'd known him all her life. It was impressive, but she supposed it was a necessary quality for his line of work.

"I can imagine. Though one must be careful not to pile too much onto their plate, lest they fall behind and be overwhelmed," he nodded.

"You're not the first person to tell me that," Haru laughed easily. "I complain a lot, but I always manage to scrape by in the end. Though I'll definitely be taking a lighter load next semester." Being home had only cemented the idea that maybe she worked a little too hard.

"I admire anyone who works in the arts, quite honestly. Many pieces are raw pieces of the artist's souls. They breathe life into all of their works and put it on display for everyone to see... It's quite courageous," Baron continued, tilting his head slightly. "Do you have an idea for a career you'd like to pursue?"

"Ahh... nothing concrete yet," she admitted, once again finding herself amazed at the ease she had speaking to him. This was something she'd only told Shizuku, not even her own best friend knew. "I considered animation for a while, but freelance illustrating sounds nice too. Shizuku's always trying to get me to illustrate a book for her. I'm just... I'm not sure what I want to do yet."

Baron smiled slightly and nodded. "It's true, it might be best, but you should find what works best for you. If that turns out to be freelance work, then I suggest pursuing it. But perhaps the best advice I can give is this: always believe in yourself. Do this, and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear. No matter what you choose to do, as long as you believe in yourself, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to."

Haru blushed and dipped her gaze to her slice of cake, eating a bit hurriedly to give her an excuse not to speak right away. If he'd noticed, Baron was polite about it and didn't say a word, choosing to eat his own cake as well.

"Thanks," she finally managed. "I'll keep it in mind."

They ate in companionable silence before Baron finally stood, albeit a little reluctantly it seemed.

"Well, Miss Haru, it was wonderful talking to you like this," he smiled. "Unfortunately, I need to get back to work. If I'm gone too long, my assistants may very well tear the office apart."

"W-why is that?" Haru asked, wide-eyed.

Baron smiled grimly, though his eyes seemed to twinkle with mirth. "You see, neither of them are fond of each other. They're always bickering with one another. Albeit mostly harmless, but I'm not certain if it's because I'm there to stop it before it dissolves into fisticuffs."

"It sounds like there's never a dull moment, at least," Haru said, wondering if she ought to be concerned about the state of his office by the time he returned.

"Oh, indeed. Take care now, Miss Haru." A tip of his hat and a smile, and he disappeared into the crowd.

Haru took a deep breath and sank into her seat, taking a long swig of her drink as she tried to calm her heartbeat. "Okay, universe. That was not playing fair," she muttered under her breath. Still, at least she hadn't made a fool of herself in the conversation. And the advice had been... pretty good, actually. He hadn't tried to discourage her from following one path over another, or even try to sway her opinion. He'd encouraged her to find what worked best for her.

Granted, believing in herself and her choices wasn't going to come quite so easily, but it had still been nice to hear. She hadn't been lying about keeping it in mind. She'd just have to repeat it to herself whenever she needed to hear it.

She finished her drink, and her cake, then carefully carried their dishes back into the cafe so no one had to go out of their way to retrieve them. Maybe unnecessary, but she knew the cat would likely get into it if she left it on the table. Now she had to figure out something else to do. Maybe she could go see a movie while she was in town? Though watching one by herself sounded kind of lonely... then again, having the theater to herself sounded fun too, but it was unlikely to happen right now.

Haru left the cafe behind, brushing herself off in case she'd dropped any crumbs in her lap, and headed off down the sidewalk. The crosswalk signal blinked, switching to the stop signal as cars began to start up. But it seemed like one pedestrian hadn't paid attention to the signal.

"Father, please, if you would just listen to me," she could hear the young man saying as she approached. He had already stepped into the street and was walking forward, oblivious to the cars heading his way. It was apparent he was having a very heated argument over the phone, so she couldn't really blame him for getting distracted, but it was dangerous. A few people gasped, trying to call out to the young man when they saw the cars growing closer, but it didn't seem like he could hear them over his phone call. It must have been pretty stressful if it was all he could focus on.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she remembered a cat that had stopped in the middle of the road, and just like back then, her body moved before her brain caught up. There hadn't even been time to think as she reached out, fingers grasping the back of his shirt and yanking him backwards as hard as she could, pulling him back to the sidewalk just as a car passed by, trying quickly to right itself since it had tried to swerve to avoid the male.

"I'll have to call you back, father," he responded, a bit shakily, hanging up the phone without waiting for a response. "That was... quite a brave act you performed on my behalf," he said as he turned to face his rescuer, looking quite pale at the near miss.

"N-no problem," Haru exhaled, placing her hand to her chest as she tried to calm down. "I'm just glad you weren't too far into the road." Racing out in front of oncoming traffic wasn't exactly appealing, and she'd had to promise her mother she wouldn't do anything like that again. "It seemed like you were pretty caught up in something else."

The young man's expression soured as he glanced at his phone. "Yes, my father is quite stubborn, and he won't let this issue drop. Or let me explain myself either." He shook his head, and smiled gratefully. "My name is Lune. I really must thank you for your trouble. You saved my life."

"O-oh, it was nothing. It was the right thing to do," Haru responded, hurriedly waving it off. "I really don't need any thanks for that."

"I insist. Please, let me repay you," he paused mid-sentence and glanced back down at his phone and grimaced. "...Perhaps next time we meet. I'm running late, but thank you again, miss...?"

"Haru. It's... Haru."

Lune smiled and nodded. "Very well then. The next time we meet, I shall properly show my gratitude for your quick-thinking." Better him than his father, he reasoned.

Haru opened her mouth to protest, but he was already off and around the corner, avoiding the street entirely this time, which was likely a good thing. Once he was out of sight, she sighed and ran a hand through her bangs.

"Really, what's with the guys around here and being able to disappear so fast?" she shook her head, biting back a tired laugh. "Guess I'll just go to the bookstore then head back..."

Or maybe just back home to begin with. After Baron's surprise appearance and her spur of the moment rescue, she was already exhausted.

* * *

 **A/N:** A regular update schedule? What's that? I'll be going on a trip on the 28th, and I won't have much time to sit and update this most likely, so I figure I'll try and get what I can done before then! But hey, at least I finally broke the curse of stopping at chapter two! Seems like poor Haru can't catch a break today.


	4. Chapter 4

Lune was distressed, in all senses of the word. Of course, that was the usual amount of stress that came from dealing with his father, but this time... he really wished he had kept his mouth shut about the incident. He really, really should have known better.

"What happened, Lune?" he'd asked, "what was with all that noise before you hung up?"

And of course, without thinking, he'd blurted out the fact he'd nearly gotten into an accident, that a kind young woman had saved him from being horribly injured or worse, because he'd been so distracted fighting with his father—a matter that they still had yet to resolve.

It was far too naive of him to hope that perhaps his father would handle this normally, like a mature man. He knew that. He knew that and yet part of him still wanted to hope in vain. But all those hopes came crashing down when his father had said those dreaded words.

"Well then, we'll just have to reward this good Samaritan, won't we?" and the awful cheshire grin never left his father's face.

The young man had never wished harder for a time machine to go back and stop himself from making such a blunder. He could only hope that he could reach that young woman before his father found out. Another naive hope, if he was being entirely honest with himself. After all, there were probably a lot of Harus in this tiny town.

Haru, perhaps for the better, was entirely oblivious to the oncoming storm. At least, until she let Moon out in the morning and tripped over a basket laid carefully on the doorstep. After a frenzied amount of flailing and staggering, she managed to at least not fall flat on her face, and turned to look at the object she'd unceremoniously toppled over.

She blinked at the sight of the basket and looked around.

"Did Baron stop by again...?" she wondered, kneeling down to inspect the contents.

But there were no baked goods to be found in this basket. Her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she lifted the blanket and found items that it would take her years to be able to buy. There were a few silver bracelets with sparkling charms, and a golden bracelet with a sun and moon motif. Then there were two incredibly expensive looking watches she was absolutely sure she would never wear. And even further still were two golden necklaces, each bearing a heavy charm that glittered in the sunlight, and a glittering bottle of perfume nestled in the middle of the arrangement.

Moon ran over to inspect the basket, sniffing all over as she likely wondered why her different human wasn't playing with her right that minute. She was entirely unimpressed with the gifts, as she promptly sneezed and took off through the yard again, earning a small giggle from the brunette.

Still, Haru was baffled by the appearance of the items. She highly doubted Baron would do something like this. He didn't seem like the type of guy who would woo a girl with material possessions—not that he seemed to even need to try, with that gentlemanly demeanor and charming smile of his. Though she was getting ahead of herself. Why would he even be trying to woo her?

 _Get a grip_ , Haru, she scolded herself, continuing to rifle through the items for some sort of tag, or letter. Perhaps it had been a mistaken delivery? Those thoughts were dashed a moment later when her fingers finally brushed against an envelope tucked into the very bottom of the basket, with her name scrawled across the front in very fancy lettering.

Her stomach twisted and she pressed her lips together in a thin line.

"What in the world is this all about...?" she asked, though the only answer she received was a snort from Moon.

Now confirming that this was probably for her, she tentatively pried open the envelope as carefully as possible. She was... quite honestly still a bit nervous. What if it was for another Haru? But how many people knew there was a Haru staying at Shizuku and Seiji's house during the summer? Grimacing as the cold feeling of nervousness seeped into her very bones, Haru drew a letter from the envelope and began to read.

 _Dear Haru,  
On behalf of your brave rescue of my son, I would like to extend this reward to you._

 _Of course, this is hardly enough, right? Of course! I can't possibly thank you enough_

 _for such a daring rescue, babe. My son is so grateful, he couldn't even speak when he_

 _told me about the incident! Tracking down one person's not so hard when you've got_

 _my kind of network. Rest assured, I won't rest until you're happy, babe. As a matter of_

 _fact, I'll even give you the greatest reward of all! Why don't you marry my son? After_

 _all, I'm sure he'd love to have an amazing babe like you!_

 _Cheers,_

 _Octavius C. King_

"What." Haru couldnt even believe what she had just read, having to read it over several times before it finally clicked. This guy was trying to marry her off to his son? The guy she'd rescued just the other day? She barely even knew him! She hadn't even gotten his name!

She sat down and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oooh, I feel a headache coming on," she groaned. Already, this summer was turning out to be way more eventful than she'd ever expected it to be. And just who in the world was Octavius C. King?! With a name like that, she was almost certain he was some kind of big shot, especially considering the gifts that had been left at the door. However, it was incredibly creepy to know that he'd had people track her down just for something like this.

The artist bit back a shudder and cast a suspicious look around. She wondered if Baron would know about this guy. After all, being a private investigator, he probably knew a lot about most people in town. Carefully, Haru picked up the basket and called Moon, who raced inside the moment she held the door open, resolving herself to call Baron. Something she had yet to prepare herself for mentally.

In fact, even though she knew she needed to call him, she spent at least fifteen minutes staring at his number before she finally began to punch it into her phone. Was it too forward of her to add him as a contact? But then again, he'd freely given her his number anyway, as well as an invitation to call on him if she ever needed anything. Still, she couldn't shake that embarrassed feeling crawling up her spine and settling in the back of her mind. Her heart even seemed to shudder with every ring of the phone before he finally picked up, and even then, Haru was pretty sure her heart had just done a backflip into her stomach.

"Hello, this is Baron, can I help you?" his voice answered on the other line, and somehow his accent seemed to stand out even more, which did very little to ease her nervousness. Why did he have to sound so darn attractive?! It should be illegal!

"Um, hi, Baron, it's Haru," she began, hoping her shaking voice wasn't too obvious.

"Ah! Miss Haru! A pleasure, as always. To what do I owe this phone call?" he responded brightly, genuinely happy to hear from her. It was almost frustrating how hard this was on her poor little heart.

"Oh...I had a question...There was a basket on my door this morning...or well, Shizuku's. But there was an envelope for me inside, and a bunch of expensive jewelry and perfume..." she was well aware that she was rambling and needed to get to the point, but Baron was listening patiently on the other end of the call, and knowing that just made her feel even more anxious. "The, um, the thing is," she continued, pausing a moment to awkwardly clear her throat, "I don't recognize the name of the sender...so I was wondering if you might? I hope that's no trouble..."

"Of course not, Miss Haru. I would be happy to help you out, if I'm able. You sound a bit unsettled by the whole ordeal...unwanted admirer?" he asked, concern lacing his tone.

"I'm... well, the guy is offering to let me marry his son all because I saved his son from getting in a car wreck that day we ate at the cafe together..." She was honestly so glad that she was not meeting him face to face, as her entire face went bright red at the mention of her run in with him at the cafe.

"...My, that does sound unsettling. What was the name?"

"It came from a...Octavius C. King? I don't know if you'll know him, but you'd probably know better than me." She hoped so, anyway.

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other line, and she could almost feel the frown in his voice when he finally spoke again.

"Miss Haru, Octavius C. King is the name of the business tycoon I told you about that afternoon. I know of him very well. Admittedly, his son is a rather nice boy, but that man... is certainly someone to be wary of."

"Oh," Haru said, as all the breath rushed out of her lungs. The moment he'd said it, of course it made sense. The expensive gifts, the fancy lettering... "Oh I am in big trouble. I need to stop this before he tries to go through with making me marry his son."

"I'll help you as much as I can, Miss Haru. The sooner, the better. I'm not sure I even want to ask how he found out where you were staying..." Baron frowned, furrowing his brows together.

"He...said something about a network..." Haru murmured.

"Ah...no wonder you sounded so unsettled when you called," he sighed and she heard him run a hand through his hair as he leaned back into his chair. "If you'd like, I can stop by and install some temporary security measures?"

"I don't want to be a bother..."

"Please, Miss Haru. I hardly consider you to be a bother. I would be more than happy to help you feel safer after this," he assured her, and she could actually feel the smile in his voice.

"...Okay then, if you insist." She probably ought to let her cousin know what was happening as well, though she had a feeling of what her cousin would say. With the conversation concluded, they said their goodbyes, with Baron promising to come by within an hour or two to install some temporary measures, like an alarm and a security camera that could easily be removed when Shizuku and Seiji returned, if they chose not to keep it.

Feeling as though a heavy weight had just been dropped onto her shoulders, Haru flopped down on the couch and shot a quick text about the situation to her cousin, knowing it was likely that Shizuku wouldn't see it for hours. At least one of them was having fun right now.

Though now she was left with the dilemma of how to stop the man from trying to marry her off to his son. Maybe there was a number she could call? There was no way it'd be that easy though. With another heavy sigh, she got up to google the man who had single-handedly turned her life upside down with one basket of gifts. At least maybe that would give her a starting point, she hoped.

As it turned out, it was easy enough to find a number, considering it was plastered all over the website of his company. Still... it was a shoddily designed web page and she had to wonder why his business was so popular if there was such poor navigation and terrible editing. Whoever made the website either had no idea what they were doing or were paid bare minimum and gave that effort in return.

Barely holding back a grimace, Haru punched the number into her phone and waited.

"Hello! You've reached Cat King Inc. How may I help you today?" an obnoxiously cheery voice answered. Haru had the distinct impression it belonged to someone who was very good at sucking up to the higher ups.

"Uh, hi, my name is Haru, and I'm calling about the gifts I received this morning from Mister, um, Octavius?" This was definitely going to be one of the most awkward phone calls of her life, wasn't it?

"Oh! Miss Haru! Wow, you sound just as kind as I was told!" the voice responded, with even more pep than Haru considered necessary. "Did you want to thank the boss? I'm sure you do! We all did our best to pick out things a young lady like yourself would just love to receive!"

"Er... Actually I wanted to return them. I mean, I can't possibly accept these gifts. Just knowing I saved a life is more than enough, but...marriage..? That's too much. I don't even know this guy!" Haru protested, hoping that at the very least this secretary could be reasoned with.

There was a shocked gasp on the other line. "What? You mean you don't like them? We were so sure you would!"

"That's... That's really not the issue here," the brunette sighed, biting her lip. Already, the headache she had predicted was beginning to form. She wondered if it was a requirement to be unreasonable if you worked for that company. "I don't want to marry someone I don't know."

"Oh, but Lune is super cool! I'm sure you'd love him if you got to know him! His father's looking at lots of potential matches, and you've been picked above all of them! Isn't that exciting?"

"Look, can you just... tell him that while I appreciate the sentiment, I'd really rather not get married over something like this..?" Haru sighed exasperatedly. She could tell the secretary meant well, but... it'd be helpful if they would at least listen to her.

"Oh, you can tell him yourself, he's right here! Sir, Miss Haru is on the phone right now!"

"WHAT?! Let me talk to her!"

Haru held the phone away from her ear and winced at the sudden yell, surprised, and yet not at the same time, at how loud Octavius C. King was.

"Haru, babe, did you like the gifts?" he practically purred and Haru felt her skin crawl.

"Um, that's actually why I was calling...you see, I can't accept these gifts. Especially not the marriage one." Please. Please let him at least be reasonable.

"Whaaat? Why not? Aren't they all spectacular?" he asked, sounding completely shocked. It was only mildly off set by the outdated lingo he seemed to be fond of.

"They're lovely, don't get me wrong but... I just... don't need them," she continued. "And I'm sorry but I really don't want to marry your son. We don't even know each other, and..." She needed a good excuse, something that would really make him stop. "I'm already seeing someone!"

It was a tiny white lie. Innocent enough, and it wasn't like she'd ever have to prove it. She'd probably never even meet the guy or his son again, right?

"Huh?" the man began. There was a long moment of silence and then, "whaddya mean you're seeing someone already?"

"Just... exactly what I said, sir. I'm already seeing someone, and I really like them. So... if you wouldn't mind just... leaving it at this?" she pleaded. Baron was right to say this man was someone to be wary of.

"Who is it, huh? They can't be a better catch than my son!" he boasted, and she could almost imagine him puffing out his chest proudly. It... honestly wasn't that far from the truth.

But that left Haru in a bind. She hadn't actually expected to have to name a person. She could just throw out a random name, right? But if he was willing to track her down just for all this, then she was sure he would probably do the same thing for whoever she threw out. And if she gave a bogus name, he'd know she was totally trying to pull a fast one on him. So the question was who?

Machida wasn't in town anymore as far as she knew. Seiji was married to her cousin. Tsuge was also out of town, and Hiromi's boyfriend. She was rapidly coming to terms with the fact she didn't really know a lot of guys. And if she took too long to answer, the man would surely suspect something was up.

And, in that moment, as if sensing her plight, there was a knock at the door, and before she could stop herself, she'd given an answer.

"Baron!" Almost as soon as the exclamation left her lips, she regretted it. She'd almost forgotten he was coming over—actually, he was a bit early, wasn't he? But the damage had already been done. He'd already taken it as his answer.

"Baron, huh?" he hummed in thought. "Well, if you can prove you really love this Baron guy, I'll let it slide. Why don't the two of you come to my fancy dinner party at the end of the month, okay babe?"

"Wha—wait a second, that's...!" too sudden, she wanted to say, but the man was already continuing as if he hadn't heard her.

"See ya then! Ciao babe!"

And then the line went dead. Haru sat there for a moment, staring dumbly at her phone as the screen went off, before another knock at the door reminded her she had a guest. Moon lifted her head as Haru got up, watching to see if she needed to start barking her head off at a stranger. But now, Haru realized with a terrible feeling of dread... she had to explain this to Baron.

Feeling even worse than before, the brunette made her way to the door and slowly opened it. Sure enough, it was Baron.

His expression immediately turned to one of concern the moment he saw her face, a gentle frown tugging at his lips. "Miss Haru, pardon me, but you look rather haggard... has the situation already worsened? Are you safe...? No one tried to trespass once more I hope?"

"It's...the first one. I tried to call and see if I could talk him out of it..." Haru sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "And after what you told me, I really, really should have known better."

"Oh dear... tell me everything." He didn't even sound mad. He was really more concerned for her in this situation, wasn't he? He was just too... perfect. She definitely doubted that guy's son could ever match up to Baron... but she was already pretty biased, wasn't she?

"Well... I tried to think of something that would get him to back off, and the only thing I could come up with was that I was seeing someone else...b-but then he asked me who, and I... panicked." She sat down at the table as she spoke, resting her head in her hands. Again, Baron patiently waited for her to finish, wanting to hear the whole story before he said anything, which made the next part even harder for her to admit. Already her cheeks were burning as she pressed her forehead to the table. Even the tips of her ears turned red.

"Then you knocked, and well, I blurted out your name," she finally managed to mumble. "He thinks we're dating now. And we have to prove it to him at the end of the month at some party he's throwing.."

She didn't dare raise her head to look at Baron. She didn't want to see if he was angry with her for doing this without talking to him first, or if he was disappointed that he'd have to be with her.

"I see... That does seem like quite the heavy weight, Miss Haru," he began in that same gentle tone of voice, placing his hand carefully on her shoulder. "But please don't fret. I told you before, my door would be open to you should you ever need it, and I simply cannot overlook this case."

Slowly, Haru looked up at him, and his eyes seemed to twinkle in the light. "Are you sure...?"

"Of course. After all, this is a perfect chance to solve both problems. I can investigate Octavius, and we can persuade him away from terrorizing you further," he smiled warmly. "This one is on the house, Miss Haru. The Cat Bureau will certainly solve your problem."

Haru breathed a sigh of relief, though her cheeks were still painted a rather bright shade of pink. "Thank you, Baron... and I'm sorry for not asking first..."

"It's quite alright, Miss Haru. I don't mind in the least. As I said before, you're quite fetching. Any man should consider himself lucky to be your first pick," he chuckled. "Now then, why don't we make you a cup of tea, and then we can get to work installing that equipment, hm? And then afterwards we can arrange a battle plan, of sorts."

For the first time that day, Haru actually felt better about the mess she'd found herself in. She allowed a small smile to cross her face and nodded. "That actually sounds wonderful, Baron. I could definitely use a cup of tea right now."

His smile was absolutely blinding. "Well then, it's a very good thing I just happened to have some of my own blend of tea with me today, isn't it?"

* * *

 **A/N:** It's been a while! Did you think I abandoned this story? Well, have an update! I lost motivation for a while after Hurricane Irma, but this story is back on track once more with it's very irregular update schedule! And for those of you who guessed the business tycoon was the Cat King, congratulations! On the note of the Cat King's name, I could remember if we'd collectively decided on a fanon name for him, so I just pulled out one that sounded suitably pompous. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter!


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